This invention relates to a carrier for containers such as bottles or the like of the type having a reduced neck portion above a shoulder portion.
Numerous container carriers are extant in the prior art. These container carriers generally are made from flattened cardboard or plastic material and are formed into a tubular structure. Two or more containers, such as bottles, are supported by the carrier. The carriers generally embrace the neck of the container. In this manner, the containers and labelling on the sides thereof are exposed to view. This is an improvement over the so-called wraparound container packaging that embraces the entire containers, such as is commonly found with six-packs of bottles.
The improved container carrier thus described is generally in the form of a hollow tubular sleeve having parallel spaced top and bottom walls. These walls may be interconnected by parallel spaced side walls. All of the walls are formed from panels of a flat blank of cardboard, plastic or the like. The blank is folded into a generally tubular form.
These prior art carriers are provided with aligned upper and lower apertures in the top and bottom walls. In this manner, the cap or rim of a bottle neck is supported by an upper aperture while a lower aperture receives the shoulder of the container. By suitable dimensioning, a stable structure is provided. One such prior art carrier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,823,064 issued to Toensmeier on Feb. 11, 1958. This is a carrier of the so-called sun- or star-burst type. The bottles are loaded by forcing the caps through the starburst openings on the top wall so that the tongues surrounding one opening spring back beneath the edge of the cap. In this manner, the bottles are held in position.
Another prior art carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,016,529 issued to Lawrence on Jan. 9, 1962. With this carrier, the side walls are angled to interconnect a top wall with a broader bottom wall. The side walls slap back under the bottle cap qr rib on the bottle so that the weight of the bottles is supported by the side walls. With this structure, the tubular sleeve cannot be folded for transportation and storage due to the converging nature of the side walls. Accordingly, the sleeve cannot be folded for transportation or storage unless a further fold line is provided, which coincidentally would weaken the structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,218,086 issued to Klygis on Aug. 19, 1980 shows yet another carrier having converging side walls. Due to the inverted V-shape construction of the side of the carrier, the carrier can be deformed so as to hold the bottles in place when compressed in a vertical direction and to release the bottles when compressed in a horizontal direction. U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,500 issued to Jaeschke on Dec. 15, 1981 shows similar carrier having tear strips to facilitate removal of the bottles from the carrier.
Wood, U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,689 issued on Sept. 13, 1983 shows a bottle carrier which is not of the tubular form. Rather, bottles are secured at the neck portions as well as by depending side walls which are closely fitted to the sides of the bottles.
The basic disadvantage of these and other prior art carriers is that they do not provide for positive locking of the containers in the carrier. Thus, the containers can inadvertently be loosened from the carriers during handling and transport. Since the carrier typically serves for gripping, the container may fall out and be broken if it is not properly secured to the carrier. Since the material of the carrier is cardboard, plastic, and is easily deformed, such unwanted separation from the carrier can occur.